First Friends Private Day Nursery

Sand timers for sharing, books brought to adults and muddy puddles outdoors: these everyday experiences marked the May 2025 inspection of First Friends Private Day Nursery in Chaddesden. At its 15 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective.

With 36 places in total, the nursery accepts babies and children up to 60 months old. In May 2025, practical preparation for school included helping older children learn to manage clothing independently.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the May 2025 activities illustrate learning through play: handling dough explored shape and size, while conversations, songs and shared books developed language.

In May 2025, children made pretend cakes from dough, comparing their sizes and shaping them by hand. Adults encouraged conversation about children's ideas and introduced vocabulary through songs and rhymes. Children also chose books to enjoy with an adult, alongside group storytelling. Reading had a place in both shared activities and children's own choices.

Outdoor play brought a different kind of learning. In May 2025, older children moved between the inside and outside spaces, rode wheeled toys, dug in soil and jumped in puddles. Babies played floor games with staff to develop strength. These examples show physical activity adapted to different stages of development, rather than one activity expected to suit everyone.

Mathematics was the weaker point. In May 2025, staff sometimes missed chances to develop problem-solving during ordinary routines and play. Recognising shapes and comparing sizes were evident; extending children's thinking needed more attention.

Staff development also formed part of the May 2025 picture. Practitioners undertook additional training, with leaders supporting them to develop their skills. Managers monitored teaching and the consistency of approaches to children's behaviour. For families, this matters because the adult's response shapes the learning available in an ordinary activity: dough can be an opportunity to explore a mathematical idea, and a disagreement can become practice in taking turns. The improvement point was about making more of those everyday opportunities, rather than simply adding another activity.

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that daily activities in small groups supported children with additional needs to develop communication, social interaction, attention and confidence. That gives parents a concrete example of support integrated into the nursery day.

In May 2025, adults helped children handle disagreements by explaining expectations calmly and using sand timers to make turns understandable. Children comforted friends who were upset. The practical value is clear: waiting and sharing become skills to practise with adult guidance.

During that May 2025 visit, children could explain why some rules mattered. They understood that running indoors could lead to a fall, while adults used reminders during play to support negotiation. This gives a more useful picture of behaviour support than a general claim about good manners: children were learning reasons for boundaries as well as ways to manage a shared activity. Comforting an upset friend also showed care between children, alongside the help provided by adults. Together, these observations describe how social learning worked in the inspected nursery day.

Communication also connected home and nursery. In May 2025, parents understood what their children were learning and how to continue that learning at home. Staff assessed development and recognised when extra help would be useful. Older children practised fastening buttons and dressing for outdoor play, giving school preparation an everyday, practical emphasis.

First Friends Private Day Nursery is at 141 Chaddesden Park Road, Chaddesden, Derby, DE21 6HP. It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

In May 2025, the nursery provided funded early education for children from nine months to four years old. Current prices should be obtained in a written quotation from the nursery.

• Everyday mathematics. The May 2025 improvement point concerned extending mathematical thinking through routines and practical play. On a visit, ask how staff now build problem-solving into these moments.
• Your child's daily arrangements. Care spans babies through to children aged 60 months. Ask how settling, sleep and the attendance pattern would work for your child, including which meals and consumables the quotation covers.

First Friends suits families seeking year-round weekday care. In May 2025, conversation, shared reading and practical independence were strengths of its daily activities, alongside supported turn-taking and outdoor movement. The mathematical problem-solving improvement point from that inspection is the specific issue to explore before choosing it.